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Originally Posted by calumniate
Anyone think this signing bonus stuff will be addressed in the next CBA? Or can it? I could see Loophole Lou going all out with this in Toronto  |
I'm sure there will probably be a percentage cap on how much of a year's salary can be paid as a signing bonus (my guess is 25%).
Really, though, it doesn't make a big difference. When all is said and done, in most seasons, the total amount that the players take home is the same whether it's paid as salary or as bonuses. Either way, it's still subject to escrow, so there's no advantage there.
Outside of a lockout situation, the only time it makes a difference is if a team is considering a buyout because bonus money still gets paid at full value in a buyout. That makes these bonus-heavy deals essentially buyout-proof (which shouldn't be a problem for McDavid's deal anyway).
These bonus-heavy deals will make a lockout in 2020 less appealing to the League and the players will be better able to withstand one (at least those with big signing bonuses that year). Hopefully, that means a lockout will be less likely in three years (or at least shorter if it happens).